“I Could Beat You In Various Ways”: Kobe Bryant Once Humbled a Young Baller Rated Higher Than LeBron James in High School
Kobe Bryant was not only one of the greatest to ever dribble a basketball, but he was also the ideal mold for somebody young trying to make it to the grandest stage of basketball.
And there was a youngster in the early 2000s who, if had it like Kobe, could have become a superstar in the NBA. If one has followed LeBron James from his St. Vincent–St. Mary days, one must be familiar with the name Lenny Cooke.
Once upon a time….Lenny Cooke was ranked higher than Lebron & Melo. pic.twitter.com/XoBVjOQbID
— AAWOL (@goaawol) August 31, 2021
The then New York & New Jersey guard was highly recruited as a junior in 2001 even over Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. That man never played an NBA game in his career.
However, it would have been entirely different if not for his lack of right attitude, some unfortunate decisions, and his not taking criticism well, even from the likes of the Black Mamba.
Lenny Cooke reminisces about the time he should have understood Kobe Bryant
In a recent appearance on a podcast, Leonard Cooke opened up about how it could all have been different, and he still could have been playing in the NBA if only he saw things differently.
When Kobe Bryant told him, “I could beat you in various ways,” (maybe when he and LeBron James met Kobe at the 2001 ABCD camp) Cooke couldn’t comprehend it and took offense to it. Listen to the whole bit here.
Lenny went on to declare for the 2002 Draft despite getting a lot of advice against it. And despite having the fourth-best odds to get into the league, he went undrafted. And after playing the Summer League for the Boston Celtics he didn’t get a contract.
How following Kobe could have worked for Lenny and several others like him
Like Mark Cuban once said, “For every Kobe (Bryant) or (Kevin) Garnett or Carmelo (Anthony) or LeBron (James), there’s 100 Lenny Cookes.” The Mavericks’ owner was talking about the kids trying to make it to the NBA straight from high school.
However, had Lenny followed the blueprint already laid out by the likes of Bryant and Garnett before him, he would have made it despite the early rejection in 2002.
If listening to a 24-year-old seemed too heavy for Cooke he should have listened to the 2x NBA champion who took time off his busy schedule to come to talk to them.
About the author
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Aakash Nair •
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